When I first started this book, I admit that I thought it was going to be a generic troubled girl has bad relationship with father, meets boy, goes horseback riding and everything magically becomes better kind of story. Boy, was I wrong...except for the magic part, or rather the supernatural twist. I enjoyed this book and think it was well-written. I am just glad that I didn't quit reading it during the first couple chapters--if I had not had to review it, I think I might have. I didn't read the blurbs about the book before I started reading, so I missed the hints that there would be more to it.

3 1/2 stars

I am a reader who loves a book that speaks to my soul. I truly thought this would be one of those books. However, The Lighthouse wasn't quite what I expected. It was a good book. It's a sweet romance. A love story that speaks to not just romantic love but to the power of love for one's family and friends.

The book introduces us to Amy, an eighteen year old young woman who is dealing with the recent loss of her mother. Amy is devastated. In losing her mother, she is not only grieving a parent, but also a friend. She is adrift in her grief and struggling to find her way through. Her father, Kevin is unsure how to help her.

The Lighthouse is a good book, it just never felt like a great one to me. I was never completely sucked in to the point that I had to see what happened next. I did think the storyline was a good one. It had some creative elements. I liked that there were some twists and mystical elements. Unfortunately, the story drug on for me a bit, but the message it sent was a good one.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration of The Lighthouse was good, but not great. It was a male voice for everything and very much felt like the book was "being read to me" the majority of the time. I didn't feel that it lent anything special to the book. At the same time, it also didn't take away from it. I would give the audio a 3 1/2 star review.

As a debut novel, The Lighthouse showed a lot of potential from new author Christopher Parker. I didn't realize that it had paranormal elements to it, and that is not my jam. I read contemporary romance and women's fiction, and this book had some soft romance to it, but I wouldn't necessarily categorize it as a romance novel or even adult fiction. Definitely more in the YA category. But the story was charming and handles some deep topics like trauma, grief, illness and death nicely. But then it mixes up different genres, and I felt like the author was throwing different tropes up against the wall to see what sticks.

Amy and Ryan are charming characters and they have a nice chemistry... for the one day they spend together? That was it? I also liked Amy's connection with her dad and how they are struggling to reconnect after her mother's death. Their romance unfolds very much like a typical YA novel. But then the mystery of the lighthouse and the snow globe enters the narrative, and the story takes a paranormal turn. And to wrap it up, there is a bunch of family drama.

I felt that some dialogue between the characters fell flat. Conversations didn't flow naturally and characters said things that I can't imagine any 20-something saying. Maybe that's because I'm a generation older, or maybe it's because the author is a New Zealander writing a story set in Portland? Whatever the case, that was a bit of a roadblock for me in how this story flowed.

Overall, The Lighthouse was an intriguing story, but I didn't realize it had paranormal elements to it and I felt let down that there was nothing more from Amy and Ryan. I thought this would be more of a romance novel and it was not.

I received an advanced copy from Beacon Press and voluntarily left a review.

My thoughts: Upon selecting this book, I didn’t realize it had elements of magical realism, fantasy & paranormal activity. I have tried to broaden my scope into these genres so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. It starts off with young Amy who finds herself struggling with the recent death of her mother. She meets a young man named Ryan while on an overnight business trip with her dad. Their first encounter will set the tone for the remainder of the book and for me to wade my way through an entirely different style of storytelling. The characters are likable and well developed so this is what enabled me to stay with until the end! I’m so glad I was able to finish this book and enjoy it!

I enjoyed the book but was not expecting the supernatural element. It sort of took me aback. I wish there had been more direct info in reviews etc. saying that it did include some supernatural storylines. That sort of turned me off because I wasn't expecting it.

I received this book for free as an advanced reader copy from the publisher and Net Galley.

Too much going on.
I wanted to love this book, but there was so much going on that it was hard to follow the stories. If some of the exposition and extra stuff had been trimmed down, the story of the romance and the story of the lighthouse may have flowed better for me. As it was, it had potential, but it was too busy to keep my attention.

There was a lot to like about this book. I enjoyed the romance of Ryan and Amy. And I liked the way Amy and her dad were trying to work on their relationship. The supernatural snow globes part
in the middle you really had to just take a leap of faith and go with it. Interesting.

Amy Tucker's mother was killed in a car accident a month ago and she's struggling with her grief. Her father Kevin, a detective in Portland, Oregon, decides to take as assignment to conclude a missing person's case in the seaside town of Seabrook, 200 miles south, and wants to take his daughter with him for a much-needed break.

After checking into their hotel, Amy decides to take a walk on the beach while her dad gets a drink in the hotel bar. Amy discovers the condemned remains of the town's famous lighthouse, once used to help traveler's safely find their way home. Will it somehow be called upon to do so once again?

After returning to the hotel, she decides she badly needs to sleep and takes a handful of her dad's sleeping pills before climbing into the bath. Next thing she knows, there's a stranger in her bathroom! It turns out it's a young man named Ryan Porter whose father owns a local horse ranch. He was in the hotel when he noticed water running into the hall and investigated.

With a touch of magical realism, their lives will become entwined. I decided to label the book young adult because of the sweet romance that develops between these two main characters.

This story deals with grief and depression but the touch of magical realism takes it to another level with the use of an interesting dramatic device. I appreciated the way the author wove the lighthouse into his story. Beautiful cover art as well!

I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.

Amy Tucker’s life reels from the loss of her mother. In an attempt to fix their own rapidly disintegrating relationship, her detective father drags her along to Seabrook while he works a case. But once there, he disappears and the lighthouse that hasn’t operated in decades inexplicably begins to shine. She has no intention of caving to the local gossip resurrecting old, haunting tales until she meets Ryan, a young man who runs a ranch on the outskirts of town. As strange occurrences mount and long-guarded secrets surface, Amy discovers that, beneath Seabrook’s deceptively quaint appearance, not everything is as it appears.

Tackling topics such as grief and belonging, Christopher Parker’s The Lighthouse is a story with potential that unfortunately didn’t know where it belonged. While labeled as general adult fiction, it read more like young adult. In addition, nothing in the summary indicated that the book fit in the magical realism category — a genre I would never have gravitated toward had I known in advance. Whether done for marketing or shock value, it’s an issue either way. In the case of the former, it does the story a disservice by running the risk of falling into the hands of the wrong audience. In the case of the latter, while I felt a bit confused and disoriented during the first few chapters, it didn’t take me long to realize the direction of the tale, and then several of the big twists became evident early on, taking away all suspense.

The storytelling itself showed promise at times but fell into a lot of debut-novel mistakes, such as telling rather than showing, breaking POV (point of view), and character actions not ringing true. Both Amy and Ryan have heartbreaking backgrounds; however, I could never connect with them or their pain. They felt one-dimensional, making it hard to care one way or another what happened to them.

The tale creeps along at a snail pace for the first sixty percent before the author shows readers what he’s capable of. Suddenly, despite the previously shared issues, I was riveted. Parker had me flipping pages and holding my breath. Sadly, that far into the story, it will be too late for many.

As a lighthouse lover, I did enjoy the setting and everything connected to the titular building. While I can’t enthusiastically recommend The Lighthouse, this author has a voice and skill that with time and development could deliver compelling stories.

Amy and her father go on a trip to a town by the sea that is looked over by a disused lighthouse. Amy’s mother has recently died and her father thinks it would do her good.
When they have checked in Amy takes some of her father’s tablets and has a bath. Suddenly a young man called Ryan turns up and pulls her out. She goes to find him at the ranch he runs with his sick father and spends a magical day with him riding one of the many horses he uses for his riding business. They spend time sharing their secrets and enjoying their time together. However it all goes wrong. Nothing seems right in the town and the lighthouse starts working again. Her father has vanished and a wonderful day turns into a nightmare.
This is an amazing read and when the actual reason for these strange events finally becomes clear you realise what a well written and described novel this is.

I am really happy that I had the occasion to read this book, it has been a nice journey!
.
Amy lost her mom in a car accident and she is really having a hard time, normal, after this fact. In all of this another complicated thing is that she had mostly a great relationship with her mother and not with her father Kevin, because he was hardly home because of his job, he is a Detective.
The day before Kevin returns to work he goes to have a drink with his brother, who happens to be his chief at work. His brother gives him a folder about a case they were working on: In Seabrook the father of a boy asked the police to search for his son who went missing. Kevin has to go to Seabrook to inform the father that they found no clue and they are going to close the case and he suggests to him to take the opportunity to spend some time by the Ocean with Amy.
So from Portland they go to Seabrook and they arrive exactly the day before an annual festival happens.
In Seabrook they start spending time separately: Kevin tries to give Amy space and Amy tries to not to feel so hurt about losing her mom.
It happens that the first night Amy meets, in a really strange way, a guy from there: Ryan. They have a first huge misunderstanding but then they spend time together and they talk freely about their problems to each other. In this process something strange happens around them.
.
I was really good, not spoilering much.
I binge read the book. This morning I stayed up until 3 am to finish it, I could not during the week because of my job..., at chapters 33, 34 and 35 I cried.
I really loved the story, I mean the idea behind the story: it was really really new for me and I loved it, sometimes I catched things of the plot, I really loved how Amy and Ryan found themselves to talk freely about their issues: in my opinion it was the most precious aspect.
I loved the things that happened after chapter 33, even if I really hoped it was not the case. Yeah I confess it, until the very last moment I hoped it was not the case.

Beautifully written and captivating. The Lighthouse will have you immersed in a world full of well developed characters and imagery.

Aurora Borealis they say is a spectacular phenomenon that would render anyone mute with its wonderous display of lights. I have seen the magical lights only in videos but the stunning imagery was enough to inspire a feeling of such awe and wonder as to leave me speechless.

The Lighthouse by Christopher Parker is one such book that is comparable to the same feeling of utter speechlessness. A story that encompasses unconditional love for your parent, longing, grief, and above all hope is a haunting melody that tugs at the heartstrings and makes the readers crave parental love.

The emotional story set in the town called Seabrook is a character driven tale centered on Amy and Ryan, both of them struggling in their own ways. There’s a palpable sense of grief that is endured by Amy and the writing by the author is so beautiful that the town of Seabrook becomes a visual experience. Some parts of the story with aspects of magical realism are thoroughly absorbing and along with Amy, I felt uplifted and buoyed up with the selflessness and kindness that shines thru Ryan.

Christopher Parker’s debut work is all heart with a subject that is relatable to many that of loss and unconditional love. Ryan and Amy make Seabrook come alive but I do wish that the author had not used the cliched dialogues between them that suddenly brings home the fact that is fiction and not real.

A touching story of love, The Lighthouse is a must-read for all fans of magical realism

Many thanks to Net Galley, Books Forward, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Book Bub, Medium.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

I loved the premise of this book, and tucked into it eagerly, expecting to be completely absorbed. For me, the story chugged along and I had to force myself to keep reading to the end. I liked the characters, but thought the romance between Amy and Ryan felt forced, and in particular Amy's reaction to Ryan after the bathtub incident was so unbelievable - and upsetting, actually - that I almost stopped reading. Perhaps this book might be more accurately categorised as YA rather than adult.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Intrigued by the summary of a young woman practically prostrate with grief after her mother's death, and a mystery about a lighthouse, I went into this with high hopes, but was kind of disappointed. The prose read quickly and easily, and drew me in, but there were a few scenes that took me right out of the story:
-Amy’s morning after reaction to Ryan’s concerned intrusion into the hotel bathroom. A young woman waking to a strange man while she is in a very vulnerable position would not, no matter how benign his apology might be, easily dismiss her concerns about him or the fear his appearance had engendered. Or, no woman I know would have jumped so easily emotionally from fear to "oh, I’ll go meet up with him!"
-“Ryan ruffled Chloe’s hair affectionately.” He gave the child one lesson. She’s pretty much still a stranger to him, and no man who is an acquaintance of one hour should be touching a young girl without permission.
-Any has a chance to talk with her mother, and they spend most of the time talking about saving Ryan. Ugh. I expected more time spent between mother and daughter dealing with their feelings and how Amy was dealing with her mother's death.

And the whole happy ending felt a little too contrived and easy. So, while I opened this book expecting to be entertained, I'm afraid I did not end up enjoying this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Beacon Press Limited for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you Net galley for this early review book which was a wonderful heartwarming story. The author is amazing too! As this is his first novel it just drew me in right away to the sadness of a daughter after the death of her mother. Traveling to Seabrook and the lighthouse. What is the connection? Amy meets Ryan through an unexpected experience. What is the magical realism that connects them? A must read !

I look forward to recommending this book to readers who enjoy sophisticated stories . Realistic situations, , and a well-paced plot make this such a pleasure to read..

The Lighthouse. 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4).

This novel was so different to what I was expecting and for the first 50-100 pages I was nervous I wasn’t going to click with it, but after 100 or so pages I could hardly put it down, Parker did a great job at keeping me intrigued! This was a story/concept I haven’t read before, so for me it was really unique. I wasn’t too shocked by the first reveal, but I enjoyed where the story went enough that this didn’t hinder my reading experience. Super impressed by the writing, it was easy to click with and it didn’t feel too over the top after the reveals. I’d absolutely recommend the audio with the physical if you can get your hands on it, the narrator did a great job.

Thank you NetGalley and Beacon Press Limited for an advanced reading copy.

I’m at a loss for what I just read and what its done to my soul. Close to the bottom are my initial words in my final “status update”. I’ve said a story has left me wrecked, but those were, more often than not, twisted thrillers. With this I’m wrecked in a way which I cannot even move onto another book yet because I’m not ready to leave Seabrook and the people who live there, behind.

This beauty here has permeated every fiber and bone inside me, at a time in my life in which I let nothing into my heart anymore. This story and these characters crashed right through. It has consumed all of me in the most wonderful and delightful ways a person could feel (I have never ever used the word delightful so……that speaks volumes), no pun intended……until I decided to leave said pun alone.

I want to go back. I want to start it all over again, like I’ve never been to Seabrook, like I’ve never met the people yet. I want to breathe the town, the people and the story into my lungs all over again. I wish to be there and a part of, even just a fraction if that’s all I was offered.

I honestly cannot type anything more at the moment and yet here I am still typing more. I keep welling up with tears.

Apologies to all other authors, of this genre, but none, none of them, not one of has ever made me feel so taken. Christopher Parker has effortlessly stepped into and with (I actually mean above) all others of this story premise. For me, Christopher Parker just hit the number one spot on my most cherished stories and most appreciated authors. I don’t mean for that to be disrespectful to any others, because they all deserve admiration and respect for their hard work and heart given through their stories, but for me, I cannot keep it quiet that this author has done something far and above. His words strung, creating the world I just visited, managed to penetrate a heart where light has gone dark and has been, blocked off, closed for many years. ‘That’ is a deeply emotional sense of peace and release of the grief which has been gripped onto me for many years.

I’m so thankful I got to read his story. At this point I’m typing ramblings, as usual, but this is different. Far different than any other experience I’ve been with in a work of fiction.

I fell in love with the characters, I swooned over the connection between the MC (Amy) and Ryan. Their connection was sweet, passionate, tender, solid, at moments sad, fun and ‘real’.

We don’t know much of Amy’s dad, but what we do know he’s simply a very lovable character. Again, he’s ‘real’.

Ryan is a character whom, if he was pulled out of the story into the real world, would be a joy and a pleasure to have in one’s life. So genuine, good hearted, humble, respectful, responsible, compassionate……I could go on. Overall he has a profound purity in his soul. The care he showed throughout made me feel I wanted and needed to know him and be in his presence.

The town was mysterious, quaint, but that mysterious nature made it feel a bit wonderfully eerie. Like Hitchcock or Twilight Zone. I almost expected Rod Serling to step into the story and announce “You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into….…..The Lighthouse!".

The atmospheric feeling was painted onto the pages. I’d swear I was there. The sense of seeing images instead of words on a page was brought to life by the well crafted writing style.

I desperately want to go back, unfortunately I’m sadly aware that, this is fiction and eventually I’ll have to move on to enter the pages of another story. But I will ‘never’ forget this one. It will be that ‘one’, the one most beautiful, tender, mysterious and touching I’ve read.

I need a print copy of this book in my life. A copy that’s as stunning and gorgeous as the story inside it. One that’s displayed where I’ll always see it staring at me telling me there’s hope, there’s magical and mystical, there’s love. One that’s in view to always remind me not to give up and to always see that the sweetest simplest things in life can become if I simply and wholeheartedly choose to believe………

My last status update after finishing the final page:

“Words & my feelings are still melting together. My mind & heart floating in a sea of emotions. This was magical, mystical, beautiful, stunning. Like the feeling you get when laying on a blanket watching stars shooting across the sky. The triple rainbow reaching end to end as the storm, the rain, the clouds are just passed by. If I could ever meet an author, it would be Christopher Parker. Wholly breath taken“

Buy this book, borrow this book (legally), read this book. Especially in times, which has left the world in non-fictional wreckage. This book, in these days of a pandemic, is healing and soothing of the sheer exhaustion, fears, losses and the hurt inside all of us.

If an author can take a person, who’s been reading all thrillers because they match the mood of a person whose life destruction, devastation and most gut wrenching losses, could not be opened to ‘anything’ other than living in the dark and suffocating through the pain, and then make me feel all this wonderful……..That author deserves to be put in view of readers on a level of grandeur as the best of the best writers. I didn’t even want to read a book that was full of the magic and enchantment that’s in here, but I did and everything I’ve written here is exactly the intensity of emotions I feel.

If I could, I’d purchase hundreds and hand them out to everyone who’s eyes and words are that of pain, loneliness and lost hope.

Amazon book details:

Publisher : Beacon Press Limited (October 26, 2021)
Language : English
Hardcover : 368 pages
ISBN-10 : 0995149526
ISBN-13 : 978-0995149526

Hardcover:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0995149526/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1634446682&sr=8-1

Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/Lighthouse-Christopher-Parker/dp/099514950X/ref=monarch_sidesheet

Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/Lighthouse-Christopher-Parker-ebook/dp/B09B5DZJH8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1634446682&sr=8-1

I received an early copy of this Magical book from NetGalley. All thoughts feelings and rating are my own and have had absolutely zero influence by anyone or anything other than my own nerdy, sentimental heart. Thank you a million to #NetGalley #BeaconPress and with immense gratitude to the author of #TheLighthouse by #ChristopherParker for the gift of the beautiful story, which this novel is. ~*An extraordinary debut. His “fateful stroll” & his "chance glimpse at a distant lighthouse" turned into a treasured gift which will carry itself infinitely beyond the sands of time*~

Two components of a novel should work right to hook you to a story: the characters and the writing. The characters don't have to be larger than life with out-of-the-world qualities but manage to make us care for them. This happens when readers can like or appreciate the characters' behaviour and thinking. And you need strong writing to support this. Only then will the reader stay long enough to understand the plot.

This was one of those special books that ticked all the boxes:
✅ Likeable characters
✅ Great writing
✅ Unpredictable plot full of suspense and twists

Book summary:
Amy and her father, Detective Kevin, head to Seabrook - a coastal town famed for its lighthouse - on a work matter. Amy has just lost her mother a month ago and her relationship with her father is strained. Kevin wants to use this opportunity to spend some quality time with his daughter but she is still unable to come to terms with her loss.

At Seabrook, Amy becomes friends with Ryan, a local, who manages his family business running a ranch. He also takes care of his father, who happens to be recovering from a stroke.

Strange incidents happen in this town, from the disappearance of Amy's father to frozen clocks and the sudden beam from the lighthouse, which has been dormant for years, shrouded in mysteries and ghost stories.

💭
I loved this book. Melancholic and heart-wrenching. Ryan is my favourite character - a boy with a golden heart. Amy and Ryan's bond is developed beautifully and naturally while a series of mysterious events happen concurrently. This is such a unique story that I shouldn't divulge too much early on as it can ruin the emotions pouring from the book. There's love, grief, loss, and hope with a splattering of spookiness.

The plot builds slowly but later we learn how everything is connected. Therefore, the pacing is apt. The author has seamlessly tied together all the elements necessary to produce an unforgettable book - a story and a set of characters you're going to remember for a long time.

I received a digital ARC from Beacon Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I wish the author all the very best for the book release.